The average smart phone customer plan looks similar to this – $55 per month for 150-200 mins, Evenings & Weekends @ 6pm, Unlimited Text Messaging and 500MB – 1GB Data.

There are three main elements of a wireless plan – Voice, Text and Data.

1. VOICE – Voice service is the backbone of cell phone service, but today you still only get 200 mins of talk time (i.e. calls made or received) per month. That’s an average of 10 mins a day of talk time during regular daytime/working hours. (i.e. Daytime Hours and Anytime Minutes are the same thing and with EW@6pm you have unlimited calling after 6PM).
2. TEXT – People forget, but the reason SMS really took off was to avoid making expensive calls during daytime hours. With only 200 mins that’s still the case, so texting is still a money saver, especially for parents with teenagers.
3. DATA – We’ve become insatiable data users and the whole world is becoming more and more plugged in, so, the more data you can get the better. That’s easier said than done, unfortunately, and the bigger the data plan, the bigger the chunk out of your wallet. With 500MB of data if you do the wrong things you can go over on your bill, but you pay for 500MB of data, whether you use it or not. The average cell phone user uses 150MB of data per month, a mere 30% of their data plan, so let’s get smarter.

Here are 5 apps that can help you save on your cell phone bills

#	Application	Description
5		Onavo This is this is the first app you need to install – now, and it’s also FREE – by the way. Onavo, compresses the data that you use on your cell phone, by lowering the amount of data that you receive, thereby shrinking the data that you would have used and therefore extending your usage.  So in other words, because of Onavo’s fancy data compression technology, you get to do more with your data plan.  From a technology standpoint, Onavo is a middle man taking any data requests I make, routing it through their servers and compressing it before sending it back to me. Assuming you went over on your data plan by 20% (i.e. 100MB) that would cost you an extra $5 per month if you are local or $300 if you used the same data while roaming. Based on my usage with Onavo, which I run at all times, I can save myself approximately 10MB-15MB per day or 300MB – 450MB per month, so you can see how valuable this app is already and who knows, with the reduced data usage it may also be saving you some battery as well. Onavo is available for the iPhone and Android at the moment with a Windows Version soon to come.
4		Zerofone Zerofone is an easy-to-use VOIP app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that lets you make and receive calls over WiFi or 3G. Why this app makes the list, is because the quality is good, it’s fully integrated with iOS and most importantly you can save on your cell plan minutes. That’s the name of the game, right?   With ZeroFone you can make unlimited calls to anyone via Wi-Fi or 3G and ZeroFone to ZeroFone calls are free.  By using Wi-Fi you can avoid roaming charges when travelling and with a $10 subscription package you can make this part of your bill management strategy and call landlines for unlimited talk time per month. ZeroFone also offers online phone numbers, which means having a local phone number in 40 cities worldwide, which can be quite attractive if you need to have a local presence to save your friends or family dialing long distance. If you have overage charges due to using up your anytime minutes that exceed $10 per month this app, with an unlimited package, in conjunction with a minor change in behaviour, can help you better manage your overage charges. Zerofone is only available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
3		Skype iPhone & Android Skype is probably one of the best known desktop applications and millions of people use it everyday to stay in touch with family and friends all over the world, so why not for mobile, right. Skype is another one of the VOIP applications and that’s great, but the best part about it is that you already have your friends and family on Skype already. No new app to install and no invitations to send your peeps to join you anywhere new to make it work. In an exactly the same way as on your computer, Skype can always be on to make or receive calls anytime, via Wi-Fi or your carrier’s network and Skype-Skype calls are always free. You can also Instant Message your contacts and make global calls to land line numbers if you have some credits in your account (i.e. SkypeOut credits) You can also get an Online Local number with Skype and your friends without Skype can call you like a normal number.  On top of that you can select where you want that local number to be, that being the real value for many. Skype mobile is available on the iPhone and Android platform only at the moment.
2		BudPhone Bud Phone is another application for your smart phone that will give you free long distance in several cities across Canada and it just might be your new found buddy. Bud Phone offers free calling to various cities across Canada so make sure you review the list but here is how it works.  For example if you lived in Toronto and travel to Montreal for whatever reason. While there you decide you want to call your buddy in Vancouver, Bud Phone will allow you to do this for free. The Bud Phone app will recognize your new location and offer you a list of cities.  Once you select Montreal the application will dial out from that local access number. Also note the application relies on GPS in order to locate the appropriate local access number thereby allowing you to make local calls from wherever you are before your call can get out to its destination. BudPhone is available for iPhone, BlackBerry and select Android devices.
1		Viber Viber is an application for iPhone and Android phones that lets you make free phone calls and send text messages to anyone who also has the application installed.  There are a number of apps available in this space that do basically the same thing like Whatsapp, or PingChat and iMessage but Viber takes the cake because it’s slick, well designed and works well. With Viber you can call or text any Viber user, anywhere in the world, for FREE. Viber integrates seamlessly with your existing address book and does not require a PIN or username. With Viber being used as a Group chat solution to keep in touch with your friends and reduce the number of SMS text messages you send and possibly pay for on a per text message. Viber is available for iPhone & Android.

By using these apps the real aim is to better manage your bills or even reduce your bills in any of the three areas, voice, text or data and with a few changes to your usage style you can definitely save some money. So remember to take advantage of Wi-Fi whenever you can, make sure you understand how much data you use or need and start saving today on your cell phone bills.

It’s been 2 – 3 years and you want to upgrade and get a better deal with your existing carrier or maybe you want to pay less and just get a better deal, either way, don’t make these common mistakes we all make when trying to get a deal with our existing carriers.  We know the process, we have to call or visit a store and negotiate a good deal for that new iPhone or Android or BlackBerry that we’ve had our eye on for a few months now.

1. Speak to the right person

When you call your carrier the first person is usually a general client service rep and can help you with most things, fixing your bill, adding a feature etc, but they are not the person who can get you a real deal and do they do not have much leeway to give you much discounts. You need to speak to a retention rep.

So ask to speak to the right person – “may I speak to a retention rep, I not happy with my existing plan or phone”

When you get the retention rep verify “are you my retention rep?” then ask them to provide the best deal for the phone you want.

2. Go in Prepared

The only way to know that you are getting a fair deal is to know what’s in the market, so after you ask for the best deal know whether the response is actually a good deal.

The easiest way to do this is to do your research – leverage myCELLmyTERMS to get offers that are better than your existing plan and use this information to get a great deal.

So when your rep presents a plan you can confidently say that Carrier X is offering me a better deal can you match that.

3. Say that you are a loyal client

Loyalty is good in most cases, but saying that you are a client for 10 years means that you are less likely to leave even if the deal isn’t very good. A client who has been with another carrier a short time ago is more likely to be a flight risk than
someone with over 5 years with them – the result is that the less loyal customer ends up with a better deal. Don’t let this happen to you.

While this seems counter intuitive loyalty isn’t rewarded, new customers get better deals and customer who switch often are always ahead. So when negotiating with your carrier remember these common mistakes, and if after this process you aren’t happy, don’t be afraid to hangup and just walk away.

I’ve been a BlackBerry fan for the last 5 years and I got tired waiting for my ideal BlackBerry to arrive on the scene, so I made a switch….to Android.  The decision to go to Android wasn’t rocket science, our company leverages Google for mail, calender and documents, so to keep true to work commitments with a little bit of play – can you saw “Android market” and its 10 billion downloaded apps – it made sense. My device of choice is the Google Nexus smartphone made by Samsung.

The Good

In 1 hour, I had set up the phone, transferred my contacts, gained access to my email and downloaded 15 apps from Android Market. What did I do? I don’t remember doing anything out of the ordinary, I just answered prompts and then Viola, I’m setup. No importing of contacts or weird cables, all my information came from “the cloud” and in no time I was ready to get going.  I had to retrace my steps for this blog in order to understand how this process materialized. For those you looking to repeat this process here are the key steps in moving from a BlackBerry Torch to the Google Nexus:

1. Install Google Sync for BlackBerry, this app will sync your contacts, calender and email with Google

Because we leverage Google for our mail services this was already installed on my BlackBerry and my Windows desktop computer also included Google Sync, so my calender, mail and contacts were all linked together via Google

2. Do a successful sync with a Google email account (create a gmail account if you haven’t one already)

3.  I transferred my pictures, music and video files to my laptop using BlackBerry Desktop Manager

4. On my Google Nexus cell phone I activate my Google account as part of the normal activation process and it automatically transferred my contacts over

5. I connected my Google Nexus to my computer and manually transferred my documents, music, picture and video files over

And then I was done!

The great news is that experience on the Google Nexus is amazing (well compared to my BlackBerry) the Super AMOLED screen, 1 GHz processor and 512 MB considerable out powered the BlackBerry and my browsing experience was significantly improved, I even had Flash running with no issues. The best part of all is access to 300,00+ apps in Android Market place.

The Bad

Leaving Blackberry wasn’t easy and you do lose some key features which I grew accustomed to, namely:

1. Losing BBM was the biggest regret – can someone make BBM for Android

2. I noticed a drop in my email experience, emails weren’t as straight forward as it was on the BlackBerry but I’m learning and getting used to the new interface

3.  It may be just my phone but the Battery experience on the BlackBerry was more efficient I only need to charge once a day, seems like the Nexus runs down faster. I will have to review how many apps I have running and whether the animated desktop is taking up too much juice.

The Ugly

The real ugly is that unless BlackBerry joins the rest of the smartphone world with a phone that Blows your mind, I will not be the last BlackBerry user to jump ship to Android or iPhone. So let’s hope that BlackBerry gets it together with BBX, opps sorry BB 10 next year because Android and Apple are not going sit still.

Updated: January 6, 2011

I’ve had a scary experience unlocking  iPhones that I hope no one else has to go through. Having unlocked phones already, mainly BlackBerry phones, I thought that unlocking iPhones would be just as easy and not as complicated – boy was I wrong. Here is what I learnt…

There are only 3 ways I know you can get your iPhone unlocked – get your carrier to unlock it for you (for a fee, $40 – $80 depending on the carrier) but you have to be at the end of your contract or purchased the phone outright, use a Gevey SIM which acts as intermediary and your real SIM sits on top of it, and then by jail breaking the phone and then by unlocking the code. Its this last process that got me all screwed up.

The first iPhone I unlocked was the iPhone 3Gs 8 GB version. I was told to backup the phone before doing the unlocking procedure which we did. After the unlocking procedure the phone was wiped, no data and it had an earlier version. When we attempted to restore the data, the phone would lock again. So we had to unlock the phone again and lose the data again. There was no way we could find to restore the data we backed up without the phone re-locking, leaving us with a phone with no data.

The second iPhone was an iPhone 4, this procedure was much smoother but it kept losing the network settings, which had to be programmed into the phone twice. And to top it off we are restricted from upgrading the phone further for fair of it re-locking again. What a nightmare!

So here are the 3 things you should bear in mind when unlocking an iPhone:

1. Understand that if you have an iPhone 3Gs that you  you may not be able to restore any data to the phone – this depends on the version of your iPhone. But in most cases an unlock means a clean iPhone with no data. So be prepared for this.

2. Limited upgrades. If you have an iPhone 3Gs you will not be able to upgrade your OS or Firmware to later versions. For the iPhone 4, while you should be able to restore your data you may be limited to the current version of the phone. No upgrades to iOS5 or later versions.

3. Connectivity issues. This doesn’t always happen, but its a distinct possibility that you may lose your network settings during the process of the unlock, so you will need to learn how to re-enter the settings in the event that this does happen.

With the iPhone 4S now available in Canada, I hope that the unlocking procedures get better and these  issues can be addressed. In the meantime, be aware of the risks and do your research to ensure that you are getting the best cellphone  deal.

Let’s look at some numbers to put it into context.

• Standard Home Internet from Rogers or BELL range from $25 to $100 per month, depending on the type of Internet speed you choose. For people in Alberta and British Columbia,  TELUS home Internet ranges from $30 to $55 per month (TELUS only offers Internet and Cable TV services in Alberta and British Columbia)
• Standard Home phone rates range anywhere from $25 to $45 per month depending the type of features you choose like voicemail, call waiting, etc.(Long Distance not included). For people in Alberta and British Columbia,  Home phone ranges from $25 to $65 per month
• Standard Cable TV rates for Rogers, BELL and TELUS range from $35 to $110 per month depending on the type of channel packages you select and excluding terminal rental.
• Cellular services for a family of 3 can start at roughly $135 per month for basic features.

As far as bundling discounts go, Rogers and BELL take different approaches. Rogers gives you percentage discounts based on the number of services you have with them. 2 services get you 5% in discounts, 3 services entitle you to 10% and 4 services entitle you to 15%.Bell and TELUS give you a dollar discount based on the number of services you have with them. With BELL, 2 services earn you $5 of your monthly bill and 3 services entitle you to $10 off. (BELL does not include cellular services as part of a bundle and hence no discount). With TELUS, with 2 services you get $5 to $10 off and with 3 services you get $10 to $15 off.

So let’s look at an example and see what that discount actually looks like. Let’s assume you have all 4 services with Rogers and all 3 services with BELL and TELUS. If the breakdown of your bill looks like the following:

• Cable: $90/month
• Internet: $45/month
• Home Phone: $30/month
• Cellular: $135/month (3 people)
• Total: $300/month

With Rogers, applying a 15% bundling discount saves you $45.
With BELL, you would save $10 when you bundle 3 services (Don’t offer cellphone services and bundling)
With TELUS, you would save anywhere from $15 to $20 a month.(Only in AB and BC).

Are you kidding me? That’s it? That’s the savings I get for giving you my business? Now if you only had 3 services, Rogers would apply a 10% bundling discount that would save you $30. That is a difference of $15 when moving from 4 services to 3. Not as much as you thought it would be when you heard 15%. With BELL and TELUS, what impact does savings $10 to $20 a month with bundled services compared to the savings you can get on a customized cellphone plan.  If anything, bundle TV, Home Phone and Internet and search for your own cellphone plan. especially if you have a family of cell phone users or a business. Now some of you will say that you are saving more when bundling than that and if that’s the case, that’s good. Keep in mind, the promotional pricing you signed up for isn’t forever. Always check your monthly bill to make sure pricing has not changed. Remember, that your providers will NOT call you to tell you your preferred pricing has expired.

The purpose of this blog is to highlight the importance of shopping for your own cellphone plan, consumer or business,  and seeing how much you can save, regardless of carrier or bundling. There are 100’s of different plans out there that will almost certainly maximize your savings by more than bundling your services. When you shop for your own cellphone plan you are, in essence educating, yourself as to what is out there, what you actually need and what is a fair market price to pay. For something so essential to your daily lives, why on earth would you not.

If you understand what some of this means, you can more effectively select the phone that is right for you. Considering that getting a good phone for a good price generally requires a 3 year commitment to a phone carrier, this is a decision you probably don’t want to get wrong, so consider the following tips.
Because cellphones are very complicated devices it can be very difficult to choose the right phone for your needs. Consider all the options available to you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Is my Phone Smart?

One of the key distinctions made these days in mobile terminology is between “super-phones,” “smartphones” and “basic wireless handsets.” But what does it all mean? What makes a phone “super?” Why would we call a phone “smart?”
The key division is between basic wireless handsets and other, more modern, devices.

That being said, we have to ask “How safe are we from malicious software or malware attacks on our devices?” One thing is for certain, hackers are working tirelessly to come up with new ways to hack into your smartphone.

Some of the more sophisticated programs can infiltrate your lives to rack up service charges through your provider, record calls, intercept text messages, pull up emails, photos and other personal information and store them.

In early August 2011, security researchers found malicious software targeting smartphones that run Google’s Android operating system. It targeted, logged details and recorded incoming and outgoing calls. BIG cause for concern. Google went a far as removing nearly 100 malicious applications from its Android app store.In July2011, researchers discovered security holes in Apples’ iPhones where users were downloading applications that ran unauthorized programs. (For the record, Apple’s record on security threats is quite good as Apple overseas all apps offered in their app store). Mobile security software companies like Lookout (great security app) says it detects tens of thousands of attempted infections each day.

So how do they do it? Hackers hide malware in, mainly, free apps for games, photos, videos, etc. Unknowing users download these apps that are disguised and the infiltration process begins

So what can we do? Don’t go “downloading crazy” for the sake of downloading. Research the apps the you want to download, especially the free ones that do not provide any practical business value but hold value in the form of entertainment. Read reviews, blogs and then decide.

If you smartphone is your lifeline and you store tones of professional and personal information, look to protect yourself. For businesses, its worth the investment.

Here are some of my picks for mobile security options:

Lookout Security shield is a FREE app that gives you anit-virus and anti-malware software, remote device lock and remote wipe. Also, offer a premium edition for $29.99. Works with Android, iPhone and Blackberry devices.

BULL Guard Mobile Security : $29.99 fee that gives many features such as parental control, location tracking, anti-spamming, system backup and malware scans.

SMobile Security shield : $29.99 fee gives you features such as anti-theft and identity protection, parental control, anti-virus against malicious software and more. Works on Android, Blackberry, Symbian OS and Windows mobile.

Kapersky Mobile Security 9 : $29.99 fee that cleans lost/stolen phones, blocks unwanted calls, real-time virus scanning and more. Works with Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, and Android devices.

SmrtGuard Mobile Security : There is a free version. Premium package starts at $45 yearly fee gives you anti-virus, anti-spam, remote backup and more. Works with Blackberry, Android and iPhone.

As smartphones become more and more integral to our daily lives and we start to use them for more than just phone calls and emails, you will need to protect yourself, especially with mobile pay around the corner. These are some of the services offered through our Peace of Mind plan. Stay tuned!

Let’s cut through the tens of thousands shall we and take a look at some recommendations:

Google Maps: FREE – a must have for travelers. Simply put, your personal navigation tool that tells you where you are and how to get where you are going.

Kayak: FREE – everything travel rolled into one. Flight, hotel and car rental search capability .The app includes My Trips so you can easily manage your itinerary. (FlyME is another cool all-in-one travel app)

Expensify: FREE – Import expenses and receipts straight from your credit card, submitting PDF expense reports by email and reimbursing up to $10k online. Great way to track and stay organized while on the go.

Fast Food: FREE -  Location app shows you restaurant deals, menu, reviews, ratings, maps and info all on one page. This app will save you money, let you find all kinds of restaurants, give you nutritional info, restaurant menu’s, reviews. Available on iPhone and Android smartphones. For Blackberry users, try Poynt. It’s FREE and provides a good experience.The Weather Channel: FREE – Enough said. Plan your wardrobe accordingly.

JiWire: FREE – helps you locate WiFi hotspots. Great for travelers looking to keep roaming costs down. Only available for iPhones

TripIt: FREE – allows you to put everything travel into one place. All you have to do is email your travel conformations to TripIt and the app will take care of the rest

FlightTarck: $4.99 – get up to the minute flight status updates, gates, cancellations. Can also sync with your calendar. Great for the frequent business traveler

MyLists: $1.99 – for the planning type who needs a list of what they need to pack. Great for the person who always arrives at their destination without key items such as smartphone or laptop charger

Juice Defender: FREE – Keep your all of your apps on hold until you access them. This prevents your battery from draining quicker. Important for the business traveler. Only available on Android devices.

There we have it. If you have any app recommendations, use our comments section!

1)      How often are your employees backing up their information? At best, once a week and that’s a stretch.

2)      Are their devices password protected? THIS IS A MUST. If you lose your phone or it’s stolen, a set password will make it difficult for anyone to access the information. At this point, all they want to do is wipe the device down and sell it.

3)      Sensitive emails – how will it affect your business knowing that you may have sensitive information out there?

4)      Pictures, stored passwords, calendar schedules, sent text messages and BBM – how many of us would want to see our information out there for others to see or read?

5)      Outrageous phone charges – The headache of having to call our carrier and fight to get those charges reversed is problem for all.

That being said, here are few apps you can download on your smartphones

• Apple iPhone: Find My iPhone is a great app for protection of info and tracking of a lost device but it can get expensive. The thing with Apple is they very protective of which apps they allow on their devices.Stay tuned as there are surely more options en route.
• Blackberry: Blackberry Protect is FREE and by far one of the best apps that Blackberry has. It provides you location and online tracking services of your device, remote backup of your information and the ability to lock up your device remotely.
• Android Devices: Lookout Security shield is a FREE app that gives you anit-virus and anti-malware software, remote device lock and remote wipe. WaveSecure and Norton Mobility security are other top notch android apps . Android is by far the most app friendly community for mobile protection apps.

Others things to be aware would be educating your employees about the types of applications they are or are not allowed to download. Some mobile viruses and malware can be attributed to corrupted apps that come in the form of a FREE download. 

 These recommendations are some of the services you get as part of the mycellmyterms.com Peace of Mind Plan.